How We Became Posthuman: Virtual Bodies in Cybernetics, Literature, and Informatics

Finally, a well-informed, razor-smart analysis of the cultural evolution of information as we (mis)understand it today. Hayles does for information and cybernetics what Foucault has done for sexuality, madness and the penal system, and she does it in a way that is thorough-going, highly contemporary, and enjoyable. Hayles offers the paradoxically devastating thesis that, in our visions of information, in our approaches to cybernetics, and in our handling of our own place in the world, Western culture has been hurtling down the wrong path. We have forgotten the physical. Worse, in order to forget the physical, to elide our own bodies, we had to forget or disregard a mountain of evidence. Not content to let us remain ignorant, Hayles recalls that evidence for us, shows us where we've come from, where we are, and offers some insight into where we're going. This is one of those books that you will tell all your friends about.

Very satisfied that the book arrived ahead of schedule and was in the condition described.I was hoping that I would receive my book, which I needed for my scholarly research, in great condition and on time.The book arrived with no glitches. Thank you.

In this altogether fascinating volume, Katherine Hayles explores the history of cybernetic theory with reference to its cultural dissemination—primarily in literature. Developing lucid, and remarkably concise, historical reconstructions of the origins of cybernetics at the famous Macy Conferences, Hayles assesses the unfolding of a ‘post-human’ logic that has become pervasive in information theory, artificial intelligence, and even the humanities. Although she is not entirely critical of this development, she is critical of the cyberneticist abandonment of embodiment. While I agree with the general direction of this disagreement, her reasoning is often tendentious and underdeveloped. A fuller, more robust theory of embodiment and in its interactions with cognition would be needed.

Thanks.

As we consider drug use for higher scores on high-stakes test, become blasé about dental implants, expect prosthetics to have electronic nerves, and keep our smartphones as close as our pocket handkerchiefs, Hayles's insight into posthuman expectations are of huge value. It's not an easy read, nor is it particularly balanced, but there are some striking points here, especially about embodiment. Well worth reading.

Teaching a class.

Insightful, well-researched, and very clear, considering the material she explores. In multipying [her (introductory)] references [Hayles] does not muddle [her] discourse but, on the contrary, weaves a net that tightens its originality. I particularly enjoyed reading Philip K. Dick's Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch through her lens.

My low rating is not for the text itself, but for the kindle formatting. Normally, one would be able to transfer between each chapter by using the arrow buttons, but this e-book provides no links to be able to do that. This seems like very lazy e-book formatting. I wish I had just bought the physical copy.The text itself is excellent. If you are interested in this subject, N. Katherine Hayles is a fantastic writer who explains the posthuman very well.

If you are looking for a book that discusses cloned figures in science fiction then this book may not be for you as Hayles' focus is on cybernetics, informatics and how these have affected the concept of 'human' and 'nonhuman'. In spite of this, her introductions and conclusions, in which she makes general comments about the posthuman figure and how they can function in literature are very compelling. Hayles argues that there is no paradigm in how the posthuman figure can be portrayed; the posthuman can either be exciting because it opens up new ways of looking at what being human means, or the poshuman can be a fearful figure because their presence suggests the end of mankind. The posthuman figure also reflects the fears and hopes of generations and so they can evolve over time. However, such evolution is a continuum and there are no sharp breaks or distinctions in changes to how the posthuman is conceived. The book is very interesting and I would definitely recommend it to any student studying science fiction, or science in fiction.

It's a reference book. Although a scientific "jargon" is there, the thinking is well presented.

needed this book for my thesis. really interesting